Apple Offering $10 Rebates

Something terrible happened in China a few weeks ago. A woman plugged in her iPhone, and was fatally electrocuted while trying to use her phone as it was charging. The story shocked the tech world. This news story had Apple's PR team in a frenzy, but Apple later proved that the charger used by the deceased woman was, in fact, not an Apple issued charger. Instead, it was a third-party charger that the woman was using.

Even though Apple products were not responsible for the woman's death, Apple does not want anyone else using an iPhone to have any kind of electrocution problems. That's why Apple is currently offer a $10 trade-in value to anyone that is using a third-party charger to charge an iPhone. If you are one of these people, here's what you need to know.

How to Claim Your $10 Discount

Apple asks you to bring your third-party charger to an Apple store near you. At that point, you can get the $10 discount on a new Apple charger. Apple will be disposing of the third-party chargers that people hand in, so you can't keep that old charger once you have a new one. Even though this promotion is happening worldwide, Apple is focusing on Chinese iPhone users.

Apple has really put a lot of effort into the company's $10 trade in option in China. The company is hoping that people will swap chargers, so that official company chargers can be used. This is the only way that Apple can really prevent another incident like the one mentioned above from happening. The new Apple promotion runs until October 18th. In addition to bringing your old charger to an Apple store, you must also bring your iPhone or iPad to the store as well (this way, Apple can verify that you actually own a device!).

Some Additional Points

So, how much does Apple actually charge for a charger? Around $19. If you need an adapter, you can add another $19 to that bill. So, it would cost you $38 for the two combined, or $28 with Apple's new discount offer. The main reason why people buy third-party adapters is that they are cheaper, but that doesn't necessarily mean that people can't afford more expensive options - it just means that some people think cheaper is better.

Even though third-party adapters look and feel the same, it doesn't pay, in this case, to go the cheaper route. If you have an iPhone or iPad, and you're currently using a third-party charger or adapter, take advantage of Apple's current $10 discount offer. Even though Apple products are on the expensive side, it's worth paying the price for an official charger or adapter, in this case.

Just keep in mind that Apple employees will have to see your i-device before you get that $10 rebate. In other words: you can't buy up a bunch of cheap chargers, walk into an Apple store, and expect to get a ton of brand new chargers at a $10 discount. Sorry, folks, you'll have to play by the rules this time!